Overwatch 2: Release Date, Platforms, Trailers, and More

Fans have been asking for the Overwatch 2 release date for quite some time now. Overwatch 2 was first announced at BlizzCon 2019, and a lot of the game is still shrouded in mystery, however, we do have some details of an Overwatch 2 release date. There’s also a good bit of information about Overwatch 2 in general, including gameplay, story details, and more. 

Overwatch 2 Release Date

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Blizzard have finally announced an Overwatch 2 release date of October 4, 2022. Do bear in mind, however, that they have announced this specific release date as the early access release of the game. What this specifically entails we are still unsure of, but we know currently that new heroes Sojurn and Junker Queen are coming to the game at this October early access release date.

Fans of the game will be relieved as many were pessimistic that Overwatch 2 would release any time soon after long stretches of content drought in the original game. Hopefully the excitement of Overwatch 2 will make up for the time many fans have had to wait.

Overwatch 2 Platforms

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Overwatch 2 is scheduled to release on Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and Xbox One when it releases October 4, 2022. Some fans were expecting a delayed release on the Nintendo Switch platform, however as far as we know currently it is scheduled to release simultaneously on all available consoles and PC. 

It most likely won’t come to mobile, however, with other FPS games introducing mobile modes, like Valorant, this may change in the future. Mobile gaming is on the rise, after all. 

Overwatch 2 Gameplay Trailer

There are two different videos and trailers related to Overwatch 2 that fans can watch and get excited about, including a cinematic trailer. The gameplay trailer embedded above for Overwatch 2 shows off the updates the game will have both visually and with certain mechanics. For instance, Heroes are able to be upgraded to become stronger. For Overwatch fans, it’s a pretty exciting video that’s more about creating excitement for the sequel than providing much information.

Overwatch 2 Cinematic Trailer

There’s also an eight-minute long cinematic trailer for Overwatch 2 that focuses on more of the story. It starts off with Tracer, Mei, and Winston heading to Paris because of the robot invasion. The trio works with the local police to save the town, then more Heroes join the fray and help them out. This was another trailer that provided plenty of excitement (and wholesome feelings) but little information about the upcoming game.

In terms of trailers, that’s all fans have right now. More trailers could come out as it gets closer to being released, with potentially more information about the new story and possible new heroes.

Overwatch 2 Game Modes

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The way that games will work in Overwatch 2 will be a bit different than how the first game worked. Games used to be two teams of six going against each other. In Overwatch 2, it will be two games of five going against each other. 

These new teams will include two healers, two damage dealers, and one tank. In the original Overwatch, there was an additional tank.

This change has also caused the game to take longer coming out. The developers have had to rebalance champions, specifically tank Heroes. With the ability to have one in each round, certain, weaker picks would be obsolete. Balance changes are necessary, and these require time to brainstorm and playtest each change they make. 

There will also be a co-op game mode that looks as though it will feature some type of story mode. The gameplay trailer, while talking about co-op, briefly shows off a map with various locations around the world. 

New maps are also coming with the new game modes, one of which has already been shown off. The New York map was shown off in the gameplay trailer for the game back in 2019. These new maps will also be available to Overwatch players after the game comes out.

Overwatch 2 Story 

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The official Overwatch 2 website connects the sequel to the actual game with a small timeline of events. Overwatch was released, and the group of heroes with the same name was established after the Omnic Crisis. Afterward, the Overwatch group fell. This led to a recall, and then the events of the cinematic trailer happened. The cinematic trailer ended with the Overwatch group coming together again, and it appears that Overwatch 2 will start after this event. 

The fact that there is a story in Overwatch 2 could be surprising for newer Overwatch players -- while Overwatch doesn’t really feature a story now, the game used to release a lot of cinematics that gave context to what was happening in the world. Now, of course, the creators are focusing on launching Overwatch 2, so there aren’t as many original Overwatch cinematics happening.

Overwatch 2 Progression

Some of the best news about Overwatch 2 is that everything from the original game will transfer as long as you use the same Blizzard account to play both games. This includes things like skins, emotes, victory poses, and even player icons. 

This has been part of what has taken Overwatch 2 so long to be developed. At Summer Games Fest 2021, one developer came on stage to show off how Sombra and Baptiste look in the sequel. There’s an emphasis on how detailed the characters are and the fact that that’s why development for the game has quite literally taken years - everything down to the dances had to be updated and made fresh. 

In line with the switch to a free-to-play model comes the expectation of more live service style features. These new features are likely to be discussed in a livestream on June 16, but we expect that features like a battle pass and with it more customizable content are going to come to the game.

If you’re looking forward to Overwatch 2, then you hopefully won’t need to wait much longer. Keep grinding on the original game - it will pay off when you can take your entire collection into the sequel.